October 23, 2007

Last Thursday, Frank and I finally tried Isla at TI. The restaurant has nice decor with Mayan artwork on the walls. Menu offers a variety of dishes to choose from. Frank ordered a carne asada burrito and I had the tamale. We snacked on chips and salsa while waiting for our food to arrive. They serve three kinds: tomatillo, picante and chunky. All were tasty, but they lacked heat. Chips were fresh and warm, tortillas are made in house.

Presentation was very nice. Probably the prettiest Mexican food I have ever been served. Rice had the flavor of tomatillo salsa; it also had corn and peas. Pretty good, but I could have done without the peas. Beans were good and had great texture. The pork in my tamale was excellent, tender and flavorful. As the menu described, it was topped with a sweet and spicy sauce. I didn't taste any spice, just sweet, too sweet really. Had it had heat, it would've been superb. The carne asada in Frank's burrito was prime and well marinated. Although, they dressed it up with too much pico, crema, etc. that the flavor of the meat was lost. All in all, the food was quite good, but they tried a little too hard and dishes were too mild for our tastes.

Service was fine to start, but after our entrees were delivered we became invisible. I never got a refill, but eventually, a busboy did bring Frank another iced tea. It took about 10 minutes after we finished our meal to grab the waitress’s attention for our check. Total came to $36 before tip.

October 13, 2007

Been awhile since I checked in. It’s been a busy month. We’ve been working hard updating our Las Vegas condo and getting things in order at the Laughlin condo so we can get it listed for sale.

Our Las Vegas condo has made quite the transformation. We have painted every room, replaced the thermostat, ceiling fans and light fixture, blinds, interior and closet doors and carpet throughout. We’ve done all the work ourselves with the exception of the carpet installation. All the money spent, sweat and frustration has been worth the reward. The place has character; it’s bright and welcoming.

However, we haven’t made it to the finish line yet. Our replacement interior doors were special order, they came in Tuesday, we hung them, but they still need to be painted. We’re also adding hardware to our kitchen and bathroom cabinets. Knobs are purchased, so it’s just a matter of time. The bathroom needs some work, too, but I’ll focus on that once we get the rest of the house complete. Once I finish up my current projects, I will post before and after pictures.

All work and no play got us itching for a vacation in Mexico. I was planning to go in January or February, because I burned through my vacation time earned this year and only have sick time remaining. That plan was foiled when Frank realized he could go in December or not until April. We like to head to the beach while weather isn’t as favorable here, so we focused on a trip in December. Fortunately, we each got approval for time off. I managed to find the cheapest airfare yet. Al Cielo in Xpu-ha had availability and is offering us a 10% discount on each night since we are returning guests. Lastly, I booked a rental via Thrifty for $9/day. This trip has shaped up nicely. We need to get passports and then sweet vacation is only two months away.